Carbon Neutral Technology Roadmap Finalized: "Dramatically Increase Renewable Energy Supply by 2030"

Meeting of Ministers Related to Science and Technology Passes Promotion Strategy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] To prevent global warming, the government, which has declared carbon neutrality (zero emissions) by 2050, has finalized a roadmap for developing core technologies, including increasing the efficiency of solar cells to 35% and nearly halving the hydrogen supply cost by 2030.

On the afternoon of the 31st, the government held a video conference of the Science and Technology Ministers' Meeting and unveiled the "Carbon Neutral Technology Innovation Promotion Strategy." Carbon neutrality means establishing measures to absorb as much carbon dioxide and other substances?the main causes of warming?as are emitted, effectively reducing net emissions to zero.

First, the government plans to significantly increase solar power generation efficiency from the current level of about 27% to 35% by 2030 and to domestically produce large-scale wind turbines, installing 15MW-class generators both on land and offshore. Additionally, to increase the use of hydrogen, a key means of carbon neutrality, the government aims to secure cost reduction and stable supply technologies, lowering the charging cost from the current 7,000 KRW per kilogram to 4,000 KRW by 2030. The price of bioenergy will also be drastically reduced from the current 150% compared to fossil fuels to about 100%, promoting its distribution and utilization.

Efforts to develop technologies to reduce carbon emissions will be accelerated. Regarding industries with high carbon emission shares such as steel and cement, the government plans to secure hydrogen reduction steelmaking technology for steel, aiming to increase hydrogen use to 100% by 2040 in the long term. For the cement industry, the ratio of low-carbon fuels, currently at 24%, will be raised to about 65% by 2040. In the petrochemical sector, the government plans to secure low-carbon raw materials and electrification process technologies by 2040, reducing the price of low-carbon next-generation petrochemical products to the same level as existing products.

By securing zero-carbon next-generation transportation technologies, the current driving range of about 406 km per charge will be extended to 975 km by 2045. The government also plans to secure carbon-neutral building core technologies through mandatory zero-energy buildings. For the ICT sector, where power consumption is increasing, the government aims to reduce power usage for data centers by 20% compared to the current level by 2030 through high efficiency and next-generation power grid acquisition. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies will also be actively secured and commercialized, with the capture cost competitiveness target set at around $30 per ton by 2030.

For industries using process gases with high Global Warming Potential (GWP), emission control enhancement and alternative gas acquisition will be pursued to increase reduction efficiency from the current 80% level to 95% by 2040.

The government plans to make cross-ministerial efforts to timely plan and initiate technology innovation research and development (R&D) to achieve carbon neutrality goals. Each ministry will plan carbon neutrality R&D projects in the first half of this year to be reflected in next year's government budget, and preliminary feasibility studies for large-scale R&D projects will be promoted within this year.

Choi Ki-young, Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "In a situation where the climate crisis has become everyday reality, carbon neutrality, which requires low carbonization in all economic and social sectors, has become an unavoidable choice. At every critical juncture on the challenging journey toward 2050 carbon neutrality, technological innovation will be the breakthrough. We will gather wisdom together with related ministries, industries, regions, and civil society to prepare a practical strategy looking 30 years ahead."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.